In order to be the best you have to beat the best. When it comes to the NFL, only one team has repeatedly lived up to that standard all season. That is why the New England Patriots are the best team in the NFL right now.
The Patriots extended their win streak to seven with a 34-9 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday and moved in to a tie for the league’s best record with the Arizona Cardinals at 9-2. Most impressive is the fact that they have maintained their dominance despite facing one of the league’s toughest schedules.
New England is now 6-0 against teams that either led their division or were tied for their division lead at the time they played with an outstanding 22-point average margin of victory in those games. The Patriots haven’t just beaten the best on their schedule they have dominated them.
Multi-Faceted Offense
The one thing that stands out about New England in comparison to every other team is that they can beat opponents in many different ways. Nobody will question the identities of the Seattle Seahawks or Denver Broncos, but when it comes to the Patriots it seems as though you never know exactly what you will get in terms of identity.
The last two weeks have provided the perfect example of this as they earned lopsided victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Lions implementing two very different strategies. While little-known running back Jonas Gray led the way with 201 rushing yards and four touchdowns against the Colts, that didn’t seem like a winning formula against Detroit’s top-ranked run defense, so New England switched it up and relied on the passing game as Tom Brady threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns.
Whether it’s a dominant rushing attack or an aerial assault, the Patriots can win games in different ways with seemingly interchangeable pieces as long as Brady is on the football field to serve as the core leader.
Belichick Has Resurrected The Defense
While the alternate styles are more easily recognized on offense, where the passing and rushing yards provide clear indicators, the Patriots have also been very versatile on defense. That’s thanks in part to the resurrection of a defense that had been beleaguered in recent years. This year, they rank 14th overall, which is a climb from where they ranked in previous years (26th last year, 25 in 2012 and 31st in 2011).
Head coach Bill Belichick is a master at preparing his teams to play situational football and he will move pieces around based on match-ups and how he wants to defend a particular offense. That’s become much easier now that he has cornerbacks that he can leave on an island as Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner have been fantastic. That allows the Patriots to give more attention to other areas of need.
We’ll Learn More This Week
The Patriots are set to face another tough test this week in perhaps a battle of the league’s best teams as Brady goes up against Aaron Rodgers for the first time in his career. Playing at Lambeau Field in late November is as tough of a challenge as any and it will be interesting to see how New England responds. No team has a better point differential than the +130 mark that the Patriots have posted this week but the Packers are next in line at +108. What’s the difference between the two marks? 22 points.
It’s clear that New England is the best team in the NFL not only because of their wins, but also how they have won games and the teams they have beaten up along the way. This week will represent another tough test but regardless of the outcome the Patriots that are the team to beat.
